Abstract
Brownfield-Stein offers an examination of the affinities between gender, media and armed conflicts. Focusing on photographs of Israeli Defense Force (IDF) women combat soldiers and Kurdish combatants, the chapter draws attention to visual representations as manifestation of the mutually reinforced relations between gender, military and political organizations. Photographs of women fighters can problematize issues of gender regime, and challenge traditional concepts of femininity and models of soldiering, while visually contesting perceptions to combat male domination. Brownfield-Stein exposes visual representations as instruments to legitimize Ethos and Eros. ‘Gender and visual representations of women combatants’ argues that the visual dictionary, which is distributed through photographs of women combatants, constitutes a visual bridge and carrier of modern and professional liberal military values, as well as shortcut for visual pleasure and fantasies.
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Berger and Naaman (2011, p. 281) use the terms ‘combat cuties’ and ‘combat pussies’ to describe the erotization and objectification of IDF female combat soldiers.
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Available from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2810780/Rehana-alive-ISIS-fanatics-NOT-beheaded-Poster-girl-Kurdish-freedom-fighters-escaped-Kobane-hellhole-friends-tell-MailOnline.html.Available from: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4599845,00.html.Available from: http://widerimage.reuters.com/story/women-of-the-israeli-army.Available from: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4525510,00.html.Available from: https://www.facebook.com/IsraeliAirForce.EN/photos/pb.234494436593536.2207520000.1455390845./930385137004459/?type=3&theater.Available from: http://www.mako.co.il/news-military/security-q2_2015/Article-ad9a92b7a8f3d41004.htm.
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Available from: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4599845,00.html.
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Available from: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4525510,00.html.
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Available from: http://widerimage.reuters.com/story/women-of-the-israeli-army.
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On 8 November 1995, the Israeli Supreme Court approved the petition of Alice Miller and ruled that the IDF must open its pilot training course to women. Alice Miller’s request to be a combat pilot was rejected out of hand because she was a woman. Formally, Alice Miller submitted a private petition, but it was perceived as a public petition against the army’s policy, which discriminated against women as a group. In their ruling, the judges called for equal treatment for all prospective candidates. The ‘revolutionary’ decision raised not only the issue of women being combat pilots, but serving in combat positions in the army’s other branches as well. The Miller ruling served as a feminist achievement which abolished a form of discrimination that violated equal rights for women in a realm of great symbolic importance. http://www.dindayan.com/rulings/94045410.z01.pdf
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Available from: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4525510,00.html and available from: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4525523,00.html.
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The concept of the ‘Golden Section’, the ‘Golden Ratio’ and the ‘Divine proportion’ is found in the visual arts, as a tool for composition to achieve harmony and balance. Leonardo da Vinci was probably, the first who called it the ‘sectio aurea’, which is Latin for golden section. The Golden Ratio composition lines were used by the Old Masters, and are still being used today by leading experts in visual arts.
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Available from: http://widerimage.reuters.com/story/women-of-the-israeli-army.
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In contrast to IAF, the idea that breastfeeding minimizes, underplays and destroys a professional image of soldiering and military uniforms is familiar to the United States Air Force. The Israeli woman combat pilot’s photograph went viral across the internet, just like the photo of two Air National Guard members (Echegoyen-McCabe and Luna) breastfeeding their babies in combat uniforms at Fairchild Air Force Base. Photographer Sigurdardottir took the photo to create posters for National Breastfeeding Awareness Week in August. According to NBC News (NBC 2012) some public reactions supported the two, whilst others claimed the photo was disrespectful of the uniforms, comparing it to pornography, or to defecating and urinating [in uniform]. A US Air Force spokesperson added: ‘Airmen should be mindful of their dress and appearance and present a professional image at all times while in uniform’ (NBC 2012).
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Available from: http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-29853513.
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Crilly, R. (2014) Isil fanatics ‘fear being killed by a woman will deprive them of virgins in paradise’. The Telegraphy [Online] 20 September 2014. Available from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/11110724/Isil-fanatics-fear-being-killed-by-a-woman-will-deprive-them-of-virgins-in-paradise.html.Earle, G. (2014) ISIS fighters terrified of being killed by female troops. NEW YORK POST. [Online] 19 September 2014. Available from: http://nypost.com/2014/09/19/isis-fighters-terrified-of-being-killed-by-female-troops/.Malm, S. (2015) What really scares ISIS? GIRLS! Jihadists believe that if they are killed by a woman they won’t go to heaven, claim Kurdish fighters. MAILONLINE. [Online] 9 December 2015. Available from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3353330/ISIS-afraid-girls-Jihadists-believe-killed-women-won-t-heaven-claim-feared-Kurdish-fighters.html.
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Ethos is a Greek word meaning ‘character’. It denotes the disposition, character, or fundamental values of a community and the underlying beliefs and ideals of a society and culture. Eros is the Greek word meaning ‘love’ or ‘desire’. In Greek mythology, Eros was the god of love. According to Hesiod, Eros was one of the fundamental causes in the formation of the world, inasmuch as he was the uniting power of love.
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Brownfield-Stein, C. (2017). Gender and Visual Representations of Women Combatants. In: Woodward, R., Duncanson, C. (eds) The Palgrave International Handbook of Gender and the Military. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51677-0_29
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